Sports

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of progress towards his Department's public service agreement target to increase significantly the take-up of sports opportunities by users from priority groups; and if he will make a statement.  [Official Report, 7 March 2008, Vol. 472, c. 27MC.]

Gerry Sutcliffe: The DCMS 'Taking Part' survey is being used to measure progress against this public service agreement.
	The most recent results were published in December 2007 and are in the tables. They provide a comparison between the baseline figures and the second year results of the survey.
	The moderate level intensity sport indicator is defined as participation in moderate intensity level sport for at least 30 minutes on three separate days during the past week.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			  Priority group  Year 1  Year 2 
			 Black and minority ethnic 19.2 19.6 
			 Limiting disability 9.5 9.4 
			 Lower socio-economic 15.2 15.3 
			 Women 18.5 18.3 
			 All adults 20.9 21.5 
		
	
	The active sport indicator is defined as at least one occasion of participation in an active sport during the past four weeks.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			  Priority group  Year 1  Year 2 
			 Black and minority ethnic 53.3 51.9 
			 Limiting disability 32.3 31.7 
			 Lower socio-economic 43.4 42.2 
			 Women 47.7 46.2 
			 All adults 53.7 53.4 
		
	
	Sport England have been working to increase the number of participants in sport through a range of interventions across sports organisations at a regional and local level; including national governing bodies, county sports partnerships, community sports networks, sports clubs and others. Since 1997-98, over £4 billion has been invested through Government and the lottery on sport in England.
	Participation will be an integral part of Sport England's new strategy to build a world-class community sport infrastructure.